Ruffwear Swamp Cooler Cooling Vest for Dogs, Ice Blue

This product works well in dry climates where the evaporation cooling can really shine. So, if you live in Arizona or Nevada, this is a great product. But, beware if you live somewhere like South Florida. With that kind of humidity, the water doesn't evaporate fast enough to cool the dog. The sun just warms the coat and turns it into a sauna suit. So if you're in such a location, either keep the coat in the fridge until it's time to use it and take it off once the sun warms it, or look into a renewable phase change material vest instead.

This product is simply amazing!!! I am sooo happy with it! I run with my friends Vizsla in our local mountains and I am always overly cautious about heat stroke. This jacket completely put my mind at ease. Running in So Cal in the heat can be hard on people, but deadly for dogs. I read many reviews on other sites (all of which were 5 star ratings) so I decided to give it a shot. Getting it ready was super easy and after a good wringing out it didn't even get my car damp as we traveled to the trailhead. Well let me tell you, this dog can kick my butt running up the mountain regardless. Now however she can do it in 80 degree heat without hardly panting. Her coat felt cool to the touch (under the jacket) every time I checked her. After about and hour I did "reactivate" it with more h2o but that was a cinch. It is adjustable and fits her perfectly, no "wear" marks on her thin coat. I've read from other people that it washes really well. If you have a dog that you take out in the heat, you NEED this jacket! Best purchase I've made all year!...and I like to shop! =)

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My 15 year old golden retriever is now wearing this vest for the 3rd summer in a row. When she was 12 she started overheating to the point of almost fainting. She would throw up and be ill the rest of the evening during our hot DC summers. I bought the swamp cooler vest from REI and it's literally saved her. Without it we'd be stuck inside all summer and not getting any exercise. I soak it really well before going to the dog park and she stays cool the entire 2 hours we're there. Once we're home I take it outside and throw it over the deck railing to dry. About once a week I throw it in the wash with other clothes. The coat looks and works like brand new after several summers of use.

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I live in Southern Arizona, and this coat works well for hikes and walks. It stays cooler longer than other coats I have tried. The length is a bit short, so maybe order one size up for bigger dogs.

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I purchased this for my English/French Bulldog/Staffie mix. She had difficulty walking in temperatures above 75 degrees. She would have to stop and "frog out" in the shade for 5-10 minutes during our walks and she had a very difficult time breathing which made me nervous. A 45 minute walk became a 1.5 hour long walk because of her need to stop and regulate her body temperature. I decided to give this cooling vest a chance, though I was quite skeptical since I always thought that dogs could only regulate their body temp via panting. I bought it in April and have used it several times since then, but refrained from writing a review until I could put it through the test. The final test came today when I took her to the park and let her run on her 50 foot lead. She ran...and ran...and RAN. I had to give her a little time out b/c I thought she might die in the 103 degree index. Granted, we were only out for about a half hour and we didn't run the entire time (I don't have a cooling vest for my own body), but her body under the vest was cool to the touch and, if I had let her, she would have kept running. I know she would not have been able to do so if she didn't have the vest on. I did re-wet the vest once during the run even though it was still wet. I didn't want to risk letting her body temperature rise since it was really hot and humid.

Long story short, this was worth the money. The ONLY complaint I have is that it is light in color and it does get dirty. But, since my dog's nickname is "Dirt Dog" due to her propensity for finding and rolling in dirt and/or feces, I have thrown in the towel on caring about her appearance. I can tell you that her face was full of joy as she ran full tilt through the vast field in her sky-blue cooling vest with her human panting and sweating 50 paces behind her. Totally worth the money...